Post Summer blues

[Korderekid]

Hi Mags

To answer your questions. Kordere is strung out along the Bezirgan Road, high above Kalkan. As I sit on my balcony, in glorious sunshine writing this, Kalkan is spread out a few hundred metres below me. By road, we are three kilometres from the bus station. Looking up at the mountains from Kalkan you will see a mosque , that is Kordere. We come under the Bezirgan municipality and have or own Muhtar ( a bit like a mayor ) who has to sign all official documents. So when we wanted a PO Box at the PTT, the Muhtar had to writer a letter proving we lived where we said we did.

We first bought an apartment in Kalkan in 1999 long before the building boom had started. We knew in 2001 that we would be moving to Turkey permanently and decided to look for land to build a house.

We wanted a large piece of land - we have 1600 square metres - and we did not want to be surrounded by holiday villas that were empty for at least half the year. We wanted to live in a Turkish community not a British one as this was to be our permanent home having sold up in the UK.

Kordere fitted our requirements in every respect. Five minutes to drive to Kalkan but surrounded by fields and olive groves not houses. We can walk from our garden through the olive groves for 3 miles without crossing a road or passing another house.

In the intervening years, Kalkan has crept closer and closer to us  and there are now many more holiday villas nearby but our particular piece of paradise has not changed at all.

We lived in Istanbul and Ankara at various times  over the last twenty years before taking early retirement and moving permanently here. Learning Turkish has been an ongoing process, more than anything it requires practice, so being here all the time helps enormously.

Life here is quite different to life in Kalkan. We do think we are enormously lucky as we have the best of both worlds. We can sit at the harbour sipping a cocktail or spend a happy afternoon spreading manure, both have an attraction for different reasons.

In high season we rarely venture into Kalkan except to go to the beach or the market on Thursday. We don't go out to restaurants or bars then. It's too hot, too crowded and for us, not  enjoyable.

Autumn and Spring are our favourite seasons. We went swimming at the beach yesterday morning, had lunch at Fener, came home to take in the delivery of our winter firewood and watch our neighbour build a drystone wall to terrace part of our steeply sloping garden. Then we planted  two cherry, two pear , two apple and  two plum trees before supper. A perfect day.

Today we were out with the dogs as the sun came up, walked for an hour with only the sound of birds tomdistract us. later we are going with friends to have lunch in Islamlar then will drive round the mountain to Bezirgan to visit more friends and  collect some cuttings from them, in return for some jars of home made chutney and we will continue the circuit back from Bezirgan down to Saribelen to pick up three bags of cow manure that Kenan the nut seller has waiting for us.

On Friday we are going to Kinik market to buy grass seed as we are creating a wildflower meadow and we may possibly come back with some chicks as Death Wish having decided to live here permanently is looking rather lonely and obviously needs some friends. Since the only time I have ever bought chicken it has come in a plastic bag ready for the oven, this might be a challenge. We only want females but have no idea how you tell the difference when they are just a few days old.

Will keep DW's many fans informed of what happens.

KK

[Babs]

I've just noticed that these posts have been read over 5000 times....is this a record? I'm loving the insights to your lifestyle KK....how amazing to be able to live somewhere near Kalkan and yet be so involved in your local Turkish community.
Keep the posts coming please.....for all us poor souls who have to wait for almost a year before our next Kalkan hit.....and please keep us up to date with your local news......your posts are brightening my dull November days! 

[maryjane]

Dear KK, you have to start a column all of your own.  It is absolutely delightful to get an insight of Turkish living from another perspective.  I am sure it is not all "wine and roses", but I envy your pace of life    It is an absolute joy to read your posts, please keep them coming    Will wait with baited breath re. your new little chickens, hope DWC takes them under her wing

[Bob & Jayne]

Hi KK.
In your opinion, where is the best place to eat in Islamlar, and why?
B

[Mags]

Thank you so much, KK, for taking the time and trouble to post such a long reply to my nosy questions.

I admire you even more now I know more of your story!

Agree with others that it would be good to have a separate topic thread for your blog. Look forward to hearing what winter life is like outside the bright lights of Kalkan.......